Friday, 23 September 2016

Day in the Life of a Comper...Neill Johnstone

Hello! I’m glad we share this
amazing hobby, do you have a story about how you got into it?

Pressed for a date, I’d say I first started comping in 2014.
I’d been meaning to start for years, but for reasons I can’t fathom, never got
around to it! The final nudge came from a piece in the MSE newsletter when my
first-born was still pretty wee and I was juggling childcare and part-time
employment. Looking for a way to make Christmas easier I figured that if I
entered enough comps, I’d soon be drowning in iPads, tellies and protein
shakes. (Guess what? Didn’t happen!)

Haha, I think that's always the image people get! So what has been your best prize so far?

I don’t know about best, but my most cherished came in my
first year of comping when I won an iPhone 5. I’m pretty sure it was a
reconditioned model (the fact that the promoter was a phone repair company was
a major clue here!) but I didn’t care - my old phone was so lamentably awful
that two tins and a bit of string would have made for a quantum leap in
technology. The new phone changed my life (or at least made me more pleasant to
be around!). From that point, every call I made, every text I sent, reminded me
that I could be - and indeed was - a winner. In your early days of comping,
that’s like getting ten dozen motivational pep talks a day! On top of all that,
I was able to enter so many more photo comps that you might say that I won
several times over!

A daily reminder is certainly motivation! Do you prefer physical prizes or experiences?

Boringly, I’m going to sit on the fence here. The truth is,
I’ve not won that many experiences, but I have been to a couple of great
concerts that I would otherwise have missed, enjoyed meals I would never have
been able to justify eating, and even got to see Norwich hold Man City to a
goalless draw (honestly, it was a fantastic game!). On the other hand, I’ve
also won physical prizes that have opened my mind to new things or stopped me
from having to throw money at really boring things I resent paying for, like
batteries, razor blades and granola.

I have saved myself a fortune, it's true! What do your friends and family think of this hobby?

I’ve got one friend whose mother is an old-school comper, so
she takes an interest, but most of my other friends are indifferent at best,
baffled at worst. “You win things … like … for a hobby?” asked one, before
scratching his head and leaving it at that.

As for my family, my first-born only seems to notice if I
win something he can eat, and steadfastedly refuses to cooperate for any photo
comps that might benefit from having a small child mugging the camera. And to
be honest, the second-born isn’t much better. My wife was sceptical at first,
but now that she’s seen the benefits, she’s much more supportive. Generally,
however, she stays out of it - although I did convince her to enter the Chicago
Town dance off. First-born approved of the unscheduled pizza nights!

Haha, who doesn't love free pizza after all?! Aside from pizza, what are your top 3 dream prizes?

I’ve got family in North America, so I try to keep an eye
out for tickets to the States. After, that, like most compers I imagine, I have
fancy luxuries at the top of my wishlist, such as a Sonos system or a new
motor. I confess, however, that I don’t try any way near hard enough to look
for relevant promotions so I’m unlikely to win any of these anytime soon!

Don't give up! Searching for specifics is easy with sites like Prize Finder! What is your favourite method of entering competitions?

If you’re talking about social media channels, then I’m torn
between Instagram and Twitter. There are many reasons to dislike Twitter, but
it is effective for rooting out specific comps - including comps on alternative
channels. Instagram, meanwhile is still relatively good for low entry comps,
and largely easier on the eye. My gut also tells me that with Instagram, it’s
possible to win regram comps; by contrast, I seldom bother with RT comps on
Twitter as there are so many bots. The last time I retweeted a comp entry, I
got a dozen bot retweets.

If, however, you’re talking about my favourite kind of comp,
then it’s effort comps, sans doute. I’m terrible at the classic tie-breaks, but
with most photo comps, you don’t have to be a pro photographer - some of my
best prizes have come from quite unremarkable camerawork. The golden rule (and
this applies to most effort comps, I’m sure) is not to follow the crowd.

Any tips for fellow compers?

I am by no means a comping veteran - indeed, I have much
still to learn - and anyone who reads my blog (http://luckmuscle.blogspot.co.uk/)
will know that while I love chatting about comping, most of my advice boils
down to one thing: do what Di Coke does! Read her book. I endorse it without
reservation. There is so much in the book about comping smarter rather than
harder that it really will pay for itself.

My other tip is to establish a skeleton routine to your
comping. For me, that’s basically opening a set of comping bookmarks (local
comp searches and daily lotteries). These bookmarks take seconds to open and,
at most, minutes to close. Anything I do on top of this - whether catching up
with Facebook groups or hashtag searching on Instagram - is a bonus. If I lose
my mojo, I just need few moments to keep my hand in the game - which makes it a
lot easier to pick up speed once my gears kick back into sync.

Any final comments about this amazing hobby?

Mental health is a subject that’s dear to my heart, so the
main thing I’d like to say is: ENJOY YOURSELF! With non-effort comps in
particular, it’s very easy to find yourself filling in form after form after
form. At some point, the joy dries up and all that’s left is the compulsion to
complete yet another entry form. As anyone with addiction or compulsive
behaviour issues will tell you - that isn’t healthy! So, to borrow the words
form the Gamble Aware campaign - when the fun stops, stop. Switch to another
media channel, try an effort comp, or - dare I say it - take the rest of the
night off. You can’t enter every competition, so don’t try!

The other side of the coin is mojo loss - when you just can’t
face another comp. Mojo’s a funny old thing, and surprisingly easy to lose.
Frustration with a dry spell is often the root of this problem (if this sounds
familiar - try my tips, For some people, however, it can be down to an episode of low mood or
depression, or simply being broadsided by extraordinary circumstances, perhaps
benign (eg school holidays), perhaps tragic. The important thing here is to get
your groove back - go easy on yourself and let comping take a back seat. The
mojo will follow when it’s good and ready.

In short, look after yourselves, people! If you have a
positive mental attitude, you’re already one of life’s winners!

Thanks so much to Neill for answering my questions, I really enjoyed reading his answers and it inspired me even more in my comping. If you would like to be featured on my 'Day in the Life of a Comper' simply Tweet me: @LaurieBeat, email me on lauriebeat@gmail.com or send me a message on Facebook.